Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-13
WORKING GIRLS FUN.
ENJOYING THEMSELVES AT NEW
YORK CITY'S FREE BATHS.
How They Compare in Physique
with Their More Fashionable
Sisters-A Girls Antics.

In the period of excessive heat, which
has killed off children by the dozen, melted
abe courage of the bravest, wilted the en-
thusiasm of the most energetic and driven
men to blowing out their alleged brains
from mere discomfort, the city's free baths
have been the best patronized institutions
in town. 1t has lain in the line Of my
duty and pleasure to see several of them
the past week, and the sight has been one
of considerable interest For one thing
have learned that, physically, the working
girl compares very favorable with her
iuckier sisters who kick up their aristo-
cratic little heels in the surf that tumbles
upon expensive and fashionable beaches.
This is not apparent at first, because when
the working girl comes stepping out of the
dre<sing-room ready for the bath her
smooth outlines are not defined by the
trim snugness of jersey-cloth and silk hose
cut to artfully display while pretending
to conceal feminine symmetry. No; she
usually wears some dingy old flannel bag
rented from the tenant and too big for
her or else cast-off garment of her own
almost too shrunken land tattered for
decency.
Some queer combinations one sees. One
red-haired girl, whose bare ankles were
white as milk, had on as bathing gar
ment frayed red flannel petticoat and an
old silk basque. Another wore what had
once been a blue nuns yelling wrapper,
which was all the better for a bath. A
third was still more unique and original
in calico Mother Hubbard for a tunic
and her younger brothers trousers. The
effect of this last was stunning, and the
wearer of it padded about in the cool salt
water with the lofty expression of one who
had surmounted the stern barriers of I'M
toward circumstance by the might of their
own unaided intellect. Some of the girls.
however, can afford cheap but pretty
bathing suits, and these are usually the
ones who swim and cannot afford to have
their movements hampered with clinging
garments. Many of them swim uncom-
monty we'll, and are fond of showing it off
in the water. It's pretty sight to see
all the wet faces, rosy with the sharp kiss
of salt water, turned upward, laughing and
shouting to those on the edge, and the
maze of round limbs confused together.
For, as | said, many of these girls, more
than one would imagine, thinking of the
half-nourished lives most of them have
led, are extremely well formed.
When the water melts down the crude
lines of their i'll fitting garments it is dis
coverable that the upper classes do not
monopolize feminine symmetry. But as a
rule all these girls have bad feet, with the
60 ta1 - IL, ~. IL
foot and its five toes the most misshapen
and distorted thing you can well imagine.
This is the result, l fancy, of the bad shoes
they wear, too short and with ill-fitting
lining and wretched heels. There is moth
ing woman's status can be so clearly
marked by as the style of shoe she has on
and the straightness of her foot. In spite
of their crippled and malformed pedals
these women splash there with great pleas
ure and freedom and play endless practical
jokes on each other Their favorite amuse-
ment seemed to be to smack the water sud
denly with the palm of the open hand,
Immediately in front of woman who was
talking and which filled her mouth and
eyes full of water. A pretty little shop
girl, with a dimple in her chin, who was
daring and beautiful swimmer, found her
chief amusement in going up and sitting
on the rail and then letting herself tumble
over backward into the water. Every
time she came down with great splash
the other women demonstrated, but to no
purpose.
Finally one of them sauntered up there
and sat down, to rest, apparently. Just as
the offender threw herself backward this
woman caught her by the foot and held
her thus doubled backward over the rail.
1t was the greatest wonder she didn't snap
her spine like a pipe stem, She didn't,
but she squalled like nothing so much as a
cat hung over line and tied to the tail of
another cat. The attendant came to the
rescue, the pair of them tumbled into the
water out of her reach, and feminine ma
val battle ensued. They pinched and
scratched, tripped each other up, pulled
hair and dashed the whole bath into such
foam that policeman was summoned,
who ordered them both out of the bath
and threatened to arrest them. No one
can even fully realize the meaning of
"madder than wet hen," who has not
seen two such belligerent females emerge
from watery encounter. The honors of
the day appeared to rest with the dimple
chin, who vowed she would come back
next day and tumble backwards into the
bath $50 times. Such troubles are rare, l
believe-NeO York Cor. Brooklyn Eagle